1

DESIGN CONCEPTS OF
COMPOSITE COLUMNS

PRESENTED BY
KANCHAN KANAGALI
2
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
MATERIAL PROPERTIES
DESIGN METHODS
PROPOSED DESIGN METHOD
STEPS IN DESIGN OF COMPOSITE
COLUMNS
CONCLUSION
3
INTRODUCTION
A steel-concrete composite column is a
compression member, comprising either a
concrete encased hot-rolled steel section or
a concrete filled tubular section of hot-
rolled steel and is generally used as a load-
bearing member in a composite framed
structure. Note that there is no
requirement to provide additional
reinforcing steel for composite concrete
filled tubular sections, except for the
requirements of fire resistance.
4

Concrete filled hollow sections
Fully and partially concrete encased columns
5
In a composite column both the steel and concrete would
resist the external loading by interacting together by bond
and friction. Supplementary reinforcement in the concrete
encasement prevents excessive spalling of concrete both
under normal load and fire conditions.
In composite construction, the bare steel sections support
the initial construction loads, including the weight of
structure during construction. Concrete is later cast
around the steel section, or filled inside the tubular
sections. The concrete and steel are combined in such a
fashion that the advantages of both the materials are
utilised effectively in composite column. The lighter weight
and higher strength of steel permit the use of smaller and
lighter foundations. The subsequent concrete addition
enables the building frame to easily limit the sway and
lateral deflections.
6
With the use of composite columns along with composite
decking and composite beams it is possible to erect high
rise structures in an extremely efficient manner. There is
quite a vertical spread of construction activity carried out
simultaneously at any one time, with numerous trades
working simultaneously. For example
One group of workers will be erecting the steel beams and
columns for one or two storeys at the top of frame.
Two or three storeys below, another group of workers will
be fixing the metal decking for the floors.
A few storeys below, another group will be concreting the
floors.
As we go down the building, another group will be tying
the column reinforcing bars in cages.
Yet another group below them will be fixing the formwork,
placing the concrete into the column moulds etc.
7
ADVANTAGES OF COMPOSITE
COLUMNS

increased strength, good fire resistance.
corrosion protection in encased columns.
significant economic advantages over steel or
reinforced concrete.
increased stiffness reduced slenderness and
increased buckling resistance.
identical cross sections for different load and
moment resistances
efficient erection of high rise building.
Formwork is not required for concrete filled tubular
sections




8
9
Typical composite multi-storey steel-framed
building during construction - a commercial
building in London.
10
Typical composite multi-storey steel-framed
building during execution - a factory building
for the car industry in Germany.
11
The combination of concrete cores, steel frame and
composite floor construction has become the standard
method for multi-storey construction in several
countries
12
Partially encased steel sections, for both beams and
columns, are an interesting development of the last
ten years.
13
MATERIAL PROPERTIES


Structural Steel

Concrete

Reinforcing Steel

Partial Safety Factors


14
Yield strength f
y
of Steel Sections as per IS:961-1975
and IS:1977-1975



Nominal steel
grade

Nominal
thickness/diameter
(mm)

Yield stress,
f
y
(N/mm
2
)


Fe 570-HT

t < 6

350

6s t s28

350

28< t s 45

340
Fe 540W-HT

t <6

350

6s t s16

350

16< t s32

340
Fe 410-O
(not subjected
to dynamic
loading other
than wind)

t <6

250

6s t s20

250

20< t s40

240




15
Yield Strength f
y
of Steel Sections as per IS
2062:1992
Nominal steel
grade
Nominal thickness/diameter
(mm)
Yield stress
f
y

(Mpa)
< 20 250
20 - 40
240 Fe 410W A
> 40 230
< 20
250
20 - 40 240 Fe 410W B
> 40
230
< 20 250
20 - 40
240
Fe 410W C
> 40 230
16
Properties of concrete according IS:456-2000


Grade
Designation

M25

M30

M35

M40


f
ck
(N/mm
2
)

25

30

35

40

f
ctm
(N/mm
2
)

2.2

2.6

2.8

3.3

E
cm
=5700\fck
(N/mm
2
)

28500

31220

33720

36050



17
Characteristic Strengths of Reinforcing Steel

Type of steel Indian
Standard
Nominal
size ( mm )
Yield Stress ,
f
sk
( N/mm
2
)
250
Mild steel Grade I
(plain bars)
IS:432(Part1)-
1982
240
225
Mild steel Grade II
(plain bars)
IS:432(Part1)-
1982
215
540
540
Medium tensile steel
(plain bars)
IS:432(Part1)-
1982
510
415
500
Medium tensile steel
(Hot-rolled deformed
bars and Cold-twisted
deformed bars)
IS:1786-1985
550
ds 20
ds 16
20<ds 50
ds 20
20<ds 50
16<ds 32
32<ds 50
for bars of
all sizes
18
Partial Safety Factor
f
for Loads

Loading

f

Dead Load
1.35
Dead load restraining uplift or
overturning
-
Dead Load + Imposed Load
-
Dead Load + Wind Load
1.35
Dead Load + wind (major load)
+ Imposed load
1.0
1.35
1.35
Dead Load + wind (minor load)
+ Imposed load
1.35 1.5 1.05
1.5 1.05
1.5
-
-
-
1.5
-
DL LL WL
19
Partial Safety Factor for Materials

Material
m
Steel Section 1.15
Concrete 1.5
Reinforcement 1.15
20
COMPOSITE COLUMN DESIGN
Method of Design

Fire resistance


21
2 Method of Design
At present, there is no Indian Standard covering
Composite Columns. The method of design
suggested in this report largely follows EC4, which
incorporates the latest research on composite
construction. Isolated symmetric columns having
uniform cross sections in braced or non-sway
frames may be designed by the Simplified design
method described in the next section. This method
also adopts the European buckling curves for steel
columns as the basis of column design. It is
formulated in such a way that only hand
calculation is required in practical design. This
method cannot be applied to sway columns.
22
Fire resistance
Due to the thermal mass of concrete, composite
columns always possess a higher fire resistance
than corresponding steel columns. (It may be
recalled that composite columns were actually
developed for their inherent high fire
resistance). Composite columns are usually
designed in the normal or cool state and then
checked under fire conditions. Additional
reinforcement is sometimes required to achieve
the target fire resistance. Some general rules on
the structural performance of composite
columns in fire are summarised as follows:
23
The fire resistance of composite columns with fully
concrete encased steel sections may be treated in the same
way as reinforced concrete columns. The steel is insulated
by an appropriate concrete cover and light reinforcement
is also required in order to maintain the integrity of the
concrete cover. In such cases, two-hour fire resistance can
usually be achieved with the minimum concrete cover of
40 mm.
For composite columns with partially concrete encased
steel sections, the structural performance of the columns is
very different in fire, as the flanges of the steel sections are
exposed and less concrete acts as a heat shield. In
general, a fire resistance of up to one hour can be achieved
if the strength of concrete is neglected in normal design.
Additional reinforcement is often required to achieve more
than one-hour fire resistance.
24
For concrete filled tubular sections subjected to
fire, the steel sections are exposed to direct heating
while the concrete core behaves as heat sink. In
general, sufficient redistribution of stress occurs
between the hot steel sections and the relatively
cool concrete core, so that a fire resistance of one
hour can usually be achieved.
For longer periods of fire resistance, additional
reinforcement is required, which is not provided
in normal design. Steel fibre reinforcement is also
effective in improving the fire resistance of a
concrete filled column. It is also a practice in India
to wrap the column with Ferro cement to increase
the fire rating
25
PROPOSED DESIGN METHOD

Resistance of cross-section to
compression

Encased steel sections and concrete filled
rectangular / square hollow sections:-

P
p
= A
a
.f
y
/
a
+o
c
.A
c.
f
ck
/
c
+A
S
.f
sk
/
s


o
c
= strength coefficient for concrete (1.0 for filled
tubes 0.85 for fully or partially encased sections)
26
Stress distribution of the plastic resistance to
compression of an encased I-Section

ck

y

P
p


h

sk

27
Concrete filled circular hollow sections







sk

s
A
ck
f
y
f
d
t
1
1
ck

c
A
y

a
A
p
P +
(
(

+ + =
where

t thickness of the circular hollow section

e eccentricity defined by M/P

28
(

=
s <
d
10e
1
10

10
d
e and 0.5 for
( )
1.0
2
and 0
1

10
d
e and 0.5 for
d
e 10
20
1
20

= =
> >
+ =
q
1
and q
2
coefficients accounting for increase in
plastic resistance, given by
29
Basic value of q
10
and q
20
for the effect of triaxial
confinement in concrete filled circular hollow sections,
applicable for concrete grades (f
ck
)
cy
= 25 to 55N/mm
2
0 . 0 = 1 . 0 = 3 . 0 = 5 . 0 > 2 . 0 = 4 . 0 =














q
10


4.90

3.22

1.88

0.88

0.22

0.00

q
20


0.75

0.80

0.85

0.90

0.95

1.00

30
Non-dimensional slenderness


where

P
pu
plastic resistance of the cross- section with

a
=
c
=
s
= 1.0

P
cr
elastic buckling load

cr
P
pu
P
=
31
(l/r) Slenderness
ratio
(a) : Idealized column
buckling curve
P

P
p









P
cr

\ P
p
/P
cr

_ =P / P
p

(b) Non-dimensionalised
column buckling curve
32
Check for Local Buckling of Steel Sections

2
85
t
d
e s
for concrete filled circular hollow sections
e s 50
t
h
for concrete filled rectangular hollow sections
e s 43
f
t
b
for partially encased I-sections
where
y
f
250
= e
33
Check against Critical Buckling Load

Elastic critical buckling load, P
cr

( )
2
e
EI
2
cr
P

t
=
where
(EI)
e
effective elastic flexural stiffness
buckling length

34
Effective Elastic Flexural Stiffness

Two design rules

Short term loading
(EI)
e
= E
a
I
a
+ 0.8 E
cd
I
c
+ E
s
I
s

E
cd
= E
cm
/
c

E
cm
secant modulus of the concrete

c
= 1.35 (according to Eurocode 2)

Long term loading
(1) Eccentricity
when e = M

/P > 2 (cross-section dimension about the
plane of bending considered)

35
(2) when non - dimensional slenderness exceeds the
limits given below

Limiting values of for long term loading

Braced

Non-sway
systems

Unbraced
and/or sway
systems

Concrete encased
cross-sections

0.8

0.5

Concrete filled
cross sections

0.8
1- o

0.5
1- o

p
y a
P
A
= o
where
36
When e/d<2 and when exceeds limits given in
Table-6, the modulus of elasticity of the concrete E
c

is defined as
(

P
P
E E
d
cd c
5 . 0
1
37
Resistance of Members to Axial
compression
P
P

< _ P
P

P design axial load
P
P
plastic resistance
_ reduction factor due to column
buckling
38
European Buckling Curves
cr
P
pu
P
=
1.0
_ = P/P
p

0
0
0.2
2.0 1.0
a
c
b
39
curve a for concrete filled hollow sections

curve b for fully or partially concrete encased
I-sections buckling about strong axis

curve c for fully and partially concrete encased
I-sections buckling about the weak axis

Mathematically these curves are described as
0 . 1
1
2 2
s
+
= _
| |
_ but
(

+ + =
2
) 2 . 0 ( 1 5 . 0 o |

where

40
European
buckling
curve

a

b

c

Imperfection
factor o

0.21

0.34

0.49

Imperfection Factor o for the Buckling Curves

(b) < 0.2
The isolated non-sway composite
columns need not be checked for
buckling, if

(a) The axial force in the column is
less than 0.1 P
cr

41
STEPS IN DESIGN
Columns with Axial Load
Design Steps for columns with axial load

List material properties: f
y
,

f
sk
, f
ck
, E
a
, E
s
, E
c

List sectional properties A
a
, A
s
, A
c
, I
a
, I
s
, I
c


Design checks

42
(1) Evaluate plastic resistance, P
p


P
p
= A
a
f
y
/
a
+o
c
A
c
f
ck
/
c
+ A
s
f
sk
/
s


(2) Evaluate effective flexural stiffness,
(EI)
ex
and (EI)
ey
,

for short term loading

(EI)
ex
=E
a
I
ax
+ 0.8 E
cd
I
cx
+ E
s
I
sx

(EI)
ey
=E
a
I
ay
+ 0.8 E
cd
I
cy
+ E
s
I
sy










43
(3) Evaluate non-dimensional slenderness,
and from equation,


x

( )
2
1
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
x
cr
pu
x
P
P

( )
2
1
|
|
.
|

\
|
=
y
cr
pu
y
P
P

44

where

P
pu
= A
a
f
y
+ o
c
A
c
f
ck
+ A
s
f
sk


(
a
=
c
=
s
= 1.0)








( )
2
ex
2
crx
EI
P

=
( )
2
2

ey
cry
EI
P
t
=
and

45
(4) Check the resistance against axial compression

Design against axial compression is satisfied if
following conditions are satisfied:

P <_
x
P
p

P <_
y
P
p


where











{ }
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
=
2
1
2 2
1
x
x x
x
| |
_
( ) | |
2
2 . 0 1 5 . 0
x x
x x
and o | + + =
46
( ) | |
2
2 . 0 1 5 . 0
y y
y y
and o | + + =
{ }
|
|
.
|

\
|
+
=
2
1
2 2
1
y
y y
y
| |
_
47
6.0 CONCLUSION

In this chapter the design of
steel-concrete composite column subjected
to axial load using simplified design method
suggested in EC 4 is discussed. The use of
European buckling curve in the design of
steel-concrete composite column is
described. The advantages of steelconcrete
composite column and the properties of
materials used are also discussed.

48
REFERENCES
R.P.Johnson: Composite Structure of Steel and
Concrete (Volume 1), Blackwell Scientific
Publication (Second Edition), U.K., 1994.
G. W. Owens and P. Knowles: Steel Designers
Manual (Fifth edition), The steel construction
Institute (U.K), Oxford Blackwell Scientific
Publication,1992
IS: 11384-1985, Code of Practice for Composite
Construction in Structural Steel and Concrete.
Johnson, R. P., "Composite Structures of Steel
and Concrete", Oxford Blackwell Scientific
Publications, London, 1994
49